'Ford v Ferrari' A Review

Ford v Ferrari is a sports drama about the Ford team competing at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans headed by Carroll Shelby(Matt Damon) and Ken Miles(Christian Bale). The film opens with Shelby's own victory at Le Mans and the implication of his subsequent illness preventing him from continuing to race. Scenes of Shelby as a struggling sports car salesman and scruffy racing manager, with Miles as his virtuoso driver, are cut with scenes of Henry Ford II(Tracey Letts) and his underlyings deciding to create a car to unseat Ferrari's dominance at Le Mans. Shelby is tapped to enact this victory.

Damon and Bale are a great two-hander as the inspired innovator and the hot-headed maverick respectively, both totally comfortable, effortless but totally engaging, in their roles and show again that they both deserve their moviestar status. Damon however is outclassed by Bale, which is not a big surprise, Bale is one of the greatest actors of his generations, deploying here his skinny look, and his magnetism is off the charts. The roles are fun and compelling but not particularly challenging and there's nothing wrong with that, it's a pleasure to see Damon and Bale with good material. The supporting cast is stacked with talent, who are all comfortably good but the only real character that has some dimension, or even really any particularly flaws, is Lett's Ford who plays with some interesting contradictions with the limited time he has.

Visually the film is deliciously clean, all the racing and action, all the mechanics and procedures, are conveyed with a restraint and clarity that is unusual for sports movies or really action movies of any kind. It's incredibly refreshing, and all the more exciting, to see and experience everything without the confusion of dark/rainy/shaky camera work. The driving itself is a real triumph which is thrilling but also has a certain grace and beauty.

There is nothing particularly big about the film, ultimately it's relatively simple and straightforward but it is good and inspiring and lovingly crafted. Not splashy fine dining but reliable comfort food.

See It.